Réunion
Encyclopedia
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean
, east of Madagascar
, about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) south west of Mauritius
, the nearest island.
Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France
(being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland
.
Réunion is an outermost region
of the European Union
and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone
.
in the early sixteenth century, there is little to Réunion's recorded history. Arab traders were familiar with it by the name Dina Morgabin, and it was most likely visited by Swahili sailors. The first European discovery of the area was made around 1507 by the Portuguese explorer
Don Pedro Mascarenhas
, who gave his name to the island group around Réunion, the Mascarenes
. Réunion itself was dubbed Santa Apolonia after a favorite saint
.
Over a century later, nominal Portuguese rule had left Santa Apolonia virtually untouched. The island was then occupied by France and administered from Port Louis
, Mauritius
. Although the French flag was hoisted by François Cauche in 1638, Santa Apolonia was officially claimed by Jacques Pronis of France in 1642, when he deported a dozen French mutineer
s to the island from Madagascar
. The convicts were returned to France several years later, and in 1649, the island was named Île Bourbon after the royal house
. Colonization started in 1665, when the French East India Company
sent the first 20 settlers.
“Réunion” was the name given to the island in 1793 by a decree of the Convention with the fall of the House of Bourbon
in France, and the name commemorates the union of revolutionaries from Marseille
with the National Guard in Paris, which took place on 10 August 1792. In 1801, the island was renamed "Île Bonaparte," after Napoleon Bonaparte. The island was invaded
by a Royal Navy
squadron led by Commodore
Josias Rowley
in 1810, who used the old name of “Bourbon”. When it was restored to France by the Congress of Vienna
in 1815, the island retained the name of "Bourbon" until the fall of the restored Bourbons during the French Revolution of 1848
, when the island was once again given the name “Réunion”.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal
in 1869 reduced the importance of the island as a stopover on the East Indies
trade route.
During the Second World War, Réunion was under the authority of the Vichy Regime until 30 November 1942, when the island was liberated
by the destroyer Léopard
.
Réunion became a département d'outre-mer (overseas départment) of France on 19 March 1946. Its département code
is 974.
Between 15 and 16 March 1952, Cilaos at the centre of Réunion received 1869.9 millimetres (73.6 in) of rainfall. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on earth. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3929 millimetres (154.7 in) at Commerson's Crater in March 2007 from Cyclone Gamede
.
In 2005 and 2006, Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of chikungunya
, a disease spread by mosquitoes. According to the BBC News, 255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of 26 April 2006. Madagascar had also been hit by this disease during the same year. A few cases also appeared in mainland France through airline travel. Then French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
sent an emergency aid package worth 36 million Euro ($57.6M U.S. dollars) and deployed approximately five hundred French troops in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes.
, 24 cantons
, and 24 communes
. It is a French overseas département as well as a French region. The low number of communes, compared to French metropolitan departments of similar size and population, is unique; most Réunionnaises communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the Indian Ocean Commission
.
The island is 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) long; 45 kilometres (28 mi) wide; and covers 2512 square kilometre. It is similar to the island Hawaii
insofar as both are located above hotspot
s in the Earth's crust.
The Piton de la Fournaise
, a shield volcano
on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 2631 metres (8,631.9 ft) above sea level
and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature. It has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on 2 January 2010. Before that, the most noticeable was during April 2007, when the lava flow was estimated at 3000000 cubic metres (3,923,851.9 cu yd) per day. The Piton de la Fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the Piton des Neiges and the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues
.
The Piton des Neiges
volcano, the highest point on the island at 3070 metres (10,072.2 ft) above sea level
, is north west of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. Like Kohala
on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, snow
practically never falls on the summit.
The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis
are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands. Offshore, part of the west coast in characterised by a coral reef system
.
Réunion also has three caldera
s: the Cirque de Salazie, the Cirque de Cilaos
and the Cirque de Mafate
. The last is accessible only by foot or helicopter.
was traditionally the chief agricultural product and export. Tourism
is now an important source of income. In 2007 the GDP of Réunion was 18.7 billion US dollars at market exchange rates. The GDP per capita was 23,501 US dollars in 2007 (at market exchange rates, not at PPP
), the highest in Africa.
Ethnic groups present include people of European, African
, Malagasy
, Indians
and Chinese
origin as well as many of mixed race. Local names for these are used: Yabs, Cafres, Malbars
and Zarabes (both ethnic groups of Indian origin) and Chinois (Réunion).
It is not known exactly how many people there are of each ethnicity since there is a ban on ethnic censuses in France, which applies in Réunion because it is a part of the 1958 constitution
. According to estimates, Europeans make up approximately one-quarter of the population, Indians make up roughly a quarter, and people of Chinese ancestry form roughly 3%. The percentages for mixed race people and those of Afro-Malagasy origins vary widely in estimates. There are also some people of Vietnamese
ancestry on the island, though they are very few in number.
People of Tamil
and Gujarati origin make up the majority of the Réunionnais of Indian origin; Bihari and other origins form the remainder of the population. The island's community of Muslims from North Western India, particularly Gujarat, and elsewhere is commonly referred to as Zarab.
Creoles (a name given to those born on the island, of various ethnic origins), make up the majority of the population. Groups that are not creole include people from Metropolitan France
(known as zoreils) and those from Mayotte
and the Comoros
.
, Islam
, Chinese folk religion
and Buddhism
also represented, among others.
is the only official language of Réunion. Although not official, Réunion Creole
is also spoken. One can hear it in any administration or office, but education is only in French.
Due to the diverse population, other languages such as Mandarin, Hakka and Cantonese are also spoken by members of the Chinese community, but fewer people speak these languages as younger generations start to converse in French. The number of speakers of Indian languages (mostly Urdu
and Gujarati
) is also dropping sharply. Arabic
is taught in mosques and spoken by a small community of Muslims.
For languages taught as second languages, English is most common. Tamil
is also taught as optional language in some schools.
, a viral disease similar to dengue fever, which infected almost a third of the population. See the History section for more details.
and insular traditions.
The most widely spoken language, Réunion Creole
, derives from French
. However, an official orthography has yet to be agreed upon.
Local food and music blend influences from Africa, India, China and Europe, resulting in a unique, diverse culture.
(. Its largest land animal is the Panther chameleon
, Furcifer pardalis. Much of the West coast is ringed by coral reef which harbours, amongst other animals, sea urchin
s, conger eels and parrot fish. Sea turtle
s also visit the coastal waters.
, handling flights to Madagascar, Mauritius, Africa, Australia and Europe serves the island. Pierrefonds Airport
, a smaller airport, has some flights to Mauritius and Madagascar.
J.I.R. (Journal de l'Île de la Réunion).
Le Quotidien http://www.lequotidien.re
Réunion 1ière http://reunion.la1ere.fr/
Videos
General information
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, east of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) south west of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, the nearest island.
Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
(being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
.
Réunion is an outermost region
Special member state territories and their relations with the European Union
Several European Union member states have special territories which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside of the European Union. These statuses range from no or limited derogation from EU policies, limited inclusion in EU policies or none at all...
of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
.
History
Before the arrival of the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in the early sixteenth century, there is little to Réunion's recorded history. Arab traders were familiar with it by the name Dina Morgabin, and it was most likely visited by Swahili sailors. The first European discovery of the area was made around 1507 by the Portuguese explorer
Portuguese discoveries
Portuguese discoveries is the name given to the intensive maritime exploration by the Portuguese during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of European overseas exploration, discovering and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia and Brazil, in what become known as the...
Don Pedro Mascarenhas
Pedro Mascarenhas
Pedro Mascarenhas was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He was the first European to discover the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in 1512...
, who gave his name to the island group around Réunion, the Mascarenes
Mascarene Islands
The Mascarene Islands is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks...
. Réunion itself was dubbed Santa Apolonia after a favorite saint
Saint Apollonia
Saint Apollonia was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to legend, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered...
.
Over a century later, nominal Portuguese rule had left Santa Apolonia virtually untouched. The island was then occupied by France and administered from Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Although the French flag was hoisted by François Cauche in 1638, Santa Apolonia was officially claimed by Jacques Pronis of France in 1642, when he deported a dozen French mutineer
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
s to the island from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The convicts were returned to France several years later, and in 1649, the island was named Île Bourbon after the royal house
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
. Colonization started in 1665, when the French East India Company
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
sent the first 20 settlers.
“Réunion” was the name given to the island in 1793 by a decree of the Convention with the fall of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
in France, and the name commemorates the union of revolutionaries from Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
with the National Guard in Paris, which took place on 10 August 1792. In 1801, the island was renamed "Île Bonaparte," after Napoleon Bonaparte. The island was invaded
Invasion of Île Bonaparte
The Invasion of Île Bonaparte was an amphibious operation in 1810 that formed an important part of the British campaign to blockade and capture the French Indian Ocean territories of Île Bonaparte and Île de France during the Napoleonic Wars...
by a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
squadron led by Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Josias Rowley
Josias Rowley
Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG , known as "The Sweeper of the Seas", was a naval officer who commanded the campaign that captured the French Indian Ocean islands of Réunion and Mauritius in 1810.-Naval career:...
in 1810, who used the old name of “Bourbon”. When it was restored to France by the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
in 1815, the island retained the name of "Bourbon" until the fall of the restored Bourbons during the French Revolution of 1848
French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
, when the island was once again given the name “Réunion”.
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
in 1869 reduced the importance of the island as a stopover on the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
trade route.
During the Second World War, Réunion was under the authority of the Vichy Regime until 30 November 1942, when the island was liberated
Liberation of La Réunion
The Liberation of La Réunion was an amphibious landing and uprising which brought the island of La Réunion onto the Allied side during the Second World War...
by the destroyer Léopard
French destroyer Léopard
The Léopard was a Chacal class destroyer of the French Navy. As one of the large destroyers of her time, she was designed to escort convoys, large naval units, or serve as a light cruiser in remote sectors of the French Empire...
.
Réunion became a département d'outre-mer (overseas départment) of France on 19 March 1946. Its département code
INSEE code
The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies to identify various entities, including communes, départements...
is 974.
Between 15 and 16 March 1952, Cilaos at the centre of Réunion received 1869.9 millimetres (73.6 in) of rainfall. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on earth. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3929 millimetres (154.7 in) at Commerson's Crater in March 2007 from Cyclone Gamede
Cyclone Gamede
Cyclone Gamede was among the wettest tropical cyclones on record, dropping more than 5.5 m of rain in a nine-day period on Réunion island in the southwest Indian Ocean. The seventh named storm of the 2006-07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gamede formed on February 20 as a tropical...
.
In 2005 and 2006, Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of chikungunya
Chikungunya
Chikungunya virus is an insect-borne virus, of the genus Alphavirus, that is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes. There have been recent breakouts of CHIKV associated with severe illness...
, a disease spread by mosquitoes. According to the BBC News, 255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of 26 April 2006. Madagascar had also been hit by this disease during the same year. A few cases also appeared in mainland France through airline travel. Then French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007....
sent an emergency aid package worth 36 million Euro ($57.6M U.S. dollars) and deployed approximately five hundred French troops in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes.
Politics
Réunion sends five deputies to the French National Assembly and three senators to the Senate.Arrondissements, cantons, and communes
Administratively, Réunion is divided into 4 arrondissementsArrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
, 24 cantons
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
, and 24 communes
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
. It is a French overseas département as well as a French region. The low number of communes, compared to French metropolitan departments of similar size and population, is unique; most Réunionnaises communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the Indian Ocean Commission
Indian Ocean Commission
The Indian Ocean Commission , known as the Commission de l'Océan Indien in French, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, France , and the Seychelles together to encourage cooperation. It was started in January 1984 under the General Victoria Agreement...
.
Major communities
- Les AvironsLes AvironsLes Avirons , is a commune in the Réunion overseas department of France in the Indian Ocean. It borders the commnues of Saint-Leu, Cilaos, Saint-Louis and L'Étang-Salé, an 150 metres of coastline.-External links:*...
- Bras-PanonBras-PanonBras-Panon is a commune in the department and region of Réunion. It borders the communes of Saint-André, Saint-Benoît and Salazie; as well as the Mât river, the Rivière des Roches and the Indian Ocean....
- CilaosCilaosCilaos is a town and commune on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. It is located centrally on the island, in a caldera of altitude 1214 m...
- Entre-DeuxEntre-DeuxL'Entre-Deux is a commune on the French island and department of Réunion. The commune gets its name from the fact that it is situated between the two main tributaries of the Saint-Étienne River: the Bras de Cilaos to the west and the Bras de la Plaine to the east...
- L'Étang-SaléL'Étang-SaléL'Étang-Salé is a commune in the department and region of Réunion. It is bordered by the communes of Les Avirons and Saint-Louis. Within the commune is the Etang-Salé forest. There is also a beach with black sand in the commune....
- La Plaine-des-PalmistesLa Plaine-des-PalmistesLa Plaine-des-Palmistes is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion.-Geography:It lies in the eastern part of the island, on the RN3 road, south west of Saint-Benoît and northesast fo the Col de Bellevue. It is known for its nearby forest and for the Biberon Falls...
- Petite-ÎlePetite-ÎlePetite-Île is a commune in the French island and department of Réunion. The commune is bordered by the communes of Saint-Joseph to the east and Saint-Pierre to the west...
- La PossessionLa PossessionLa Possession is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the northwest side of the island of Réunion, between the capital of Saint-Denis and the commune of Le Port. The commune is twinned with Villeneuve-d'Ascq, in France....
- Le PortLe Port, RéunionLe Port is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located at the extreme northwest corner of the island of Réunion. In the 1999 census, Le Port had a population of 38,412...
- Saint-AndréSaint-André, RéunionSaint-André is the sixth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the northeast part of the island of Réunion.-References:*...
- Saint-BenoîtSaint-Benoît, RéunionSaint-Benoît is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Réunion, about 40 kilometres southeast of Saint-Denis, the capital.-Geography:...
- Saint-DenisSaint-Denis, RéunionSaint-Denis is the préfecture of the French overseas region and department of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost point, close to the mouth of the Rivière Saint-Denis....
- Saint-JosephSaint-Joseph, RéunionSaint-Joseph is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the extreme south end of the island of Réunion. As such, it features the southernmost point of the European Union.-External links:*...
- Saint-LeuSaint-Leu, RéunionSaint-Leu is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the west side of the island of Réunion.-Points of interest:* Conservatoire botanique national de Mascarin...
- Saint-LouisSaint-Louis, RéunionSaint-Louis is the fifth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the southwest part of the island of Réunion, adjacent to Saint-Pierre.-External links:*...
- Sainte-MarieSainte-Marie, RéunionSainte-Marie is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the north side of the island of Réunion, just east of, and adjacent to, the capital of Saint-Denis....
- Saint-PaulSaint-Paul, RéunionSaint-Paul is the second-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the extreme west side of the island of Réunion.Until 1999, near Saint Paul there was the 428 metres tall mast OMEGA Chabrier transmitter.- Transport :...
- Saint-PhilippeSaint-PhilippeSaint-Philippe is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located in south-eastern Reunion.-Geography:Saint-Philippe is on the highest point on the island. It borders the municipalities of Saint-Joseph and Sainte-Rose, to the west and north respectively. Although it is a...
- Saint-PierreSaint-Pierre, RéunionSaint-Pierre is the third-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the southwest side of the island of Réunion.-External links:*...
- Sainte-SuzanneSainte-Suzanne, RéunionSainte-Suzanne is a commune on the north coast of the French island and department of Réunion. It is bordered by the communes of Saint-André, Sainte-Marie and Salazie. The course of the Saint-Jean River denoted the border between Saint-André and Saint-Suzanne...
- Sainte-RoseSainte-Rose, RéunionSainte-Rose is a commune on the east coast of the French island and department of Réunion. The Pointe des Cascades, in the commune, is the easternmost part of the island and also the easternmost part of France and of the European Union...
- SalazieSalazieSalazie is a volcanic caldera and commune in the department and region of Réunion.The first settlement of the area took place in 1829 after a cyclone had devastated the nearby coast, and the municipality of Salazie was formed in 1889...
- Trois-BassinsTrois-BassinsTrois-Bassins is a commune in the department of Réunion. It is found on the east coast of the island, and the summit of Grand Bénare lies within its borders. The commune borders Cilaos to the west, Saint-Paul to the north and Saint-Leu to the south...
- Le TamponLe TamponLe Tampon is the fourth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the south-central part of the island of Réunion, adjacent to Saint-Pierre....
Geography
The island is 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) long; 45 kilometres (28 mi) wide; and covers 2512 square kilometre. It is similar to the island Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
insofar as both are located above hotspot
Hotspot (geology)
The places known as hotspots or hot spots in geology are volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the mantle elsewhere. They may be on, near to, or far from tectonic plate boundaries. There are two hypotheses to explain them...
s in the Earth's crust.
The Piton de la Fournaise
Piton de la Fournaise
Piton de la Fournaise : "Peak of the Furnace" is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands , Stromboli, Etna and Mount Erebus in Antarctica...
, a shield volcano
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 2631 metres (8,631.9 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature. It has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on 2 January 2010. Before that, the most noticeable was during April 2007, when the lava flow was estimated at 3000000 cubic metres (3,923,851.9 cu yd) per day. The Piton de la Fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the Piton des Neiges and the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues
Rodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
.
The Piton des Neiges
Piton des Neiges
The Piton des Neiges is a massive 3,069 m shield volcano on Réunion, one of the French volcanic islands in the Mascarene Archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is located about east of Madagascar. Piton des Neiges is the highest point on Réunion and is considered to be the highest...
volcano, the highest point on the island at 3070 metres (10,072.2 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, is north west of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. Like Kohala
Kohala (mountain)
Kohala is the oldest of five volcanoes that make up the island of Hawaii. Kohala is an estimated one million years old—so old that it experienced, and recorded, a reversal of magnetic field 780,000 years ago. It is believed to have breached sea level more than 500,000 years ago and to...
on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
practically never falls on the summit.
The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis, Réunion
Saint-Denis is the préfecture of the French overseas region and department of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost point, close to the mouth of the Rivière Saint-Denis....
are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands. Offshore, part of the west coast in characterised by a coral reef system
Reunion Island's coral reef
-Introduction:Reunion Island's coral reef covers a very concentrated part of the western littoral. The close proximity to the continental shelf means that the sea quickly becomes deep not far from the coast. the coral reef is located between St Leu and St Gilles. The full GPS co-ordinates of the...
.
Réunion also has three caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
s: the Cirque de Salazie, the Cirque de Cilaos
Cilaos
Cilaos is a town and commune on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. It is located centrally on the island, in a caldera of altitude 1214 m...
and the Cirque de Mafate
Cirque de Mafate
The Cirque de Mafate is a caldera on Réunion Island . It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the Piton des Neiges....
. The last is accessible only by foot or helicopter.
Economy
SugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
was traditionally the chief agricultural product and export. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is now an important source of income. In 2007 the GDP of Réunion was 18.7 billion US dollars at market exchange rates. The GDP per capita was 23,501 US dollars in 2007 (at market exchange rates, not at PPP
Purchasing power parity
In economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
), the highest in Africa.
Demographics
Ethnic groups present include people of European, African
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
, Malagasy
Malagasy people
The Malagasy ethnic group forms nearly the entire population of Madagascar. They are divided into two subgroups: the "Highlander" Merina, Sihanaka and Betsileo of the central plateau around Antananarivo, Alaotra and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers elsewhere in the country. This division has its...
, Indians
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
and Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
origin as well as many of mixed race. Local names for these are used: Yabs, Cafres, Malbars
Malbars
Malbars are an ethnic group of Tamil origin in Réunion, a French island in the Southwest Indian Ocean, estimated to number 180,000. There are no official figures because the French government does not collect census data on ethnic groups....
and Zarabes (both ethnic groups of Indian origin) and Chinois (Réunion).
It is not known exactly how many people there are of each ethnicity since there is a ban on ethnic censuses in France, which applies in Réunion because it is a part of the 1958 constitution
Constitution of France
The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, and replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from 1946. Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth...
. According to estimates, Europeans make up approximately one-quarter of the population, Indians make up roughly a quarter, and people of Chinese ancestry form roughly 3%. The percentages for mixed race people and those of Afro-Malagasy origins vary widely in estimates. There are also some people of Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
ancestry on the island, though they are very few in number.
People of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
and Gujarati origin make up the majority of the Réunionnais of Indian origin; Bihari and other origins form the remainder of the population. The island's community of Muslims from North Western India, particularly Gujarat, and elsewhere is commonly referred to as Zarab.
Creoles (a name given to those born on the island, of various ethnic origins), make up the majority of the population. Groups that are not creole include people from Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
(known as zoreils) and those from Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
and the Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
.
Historical population
| Year | Population | Year | Population | Year | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1671 | 90 | 1830 | 101,300 | 1961 | 349,282 | ||
| 1696 | 269 | 1848 | 110,300 | 1967 | 416,525 | ||
| 1704 | 734 | 1849 | 120,900 | 1974 | 476,675 | ||
| 1713 | 1,171 | 1860 | 200,000 | 1982 | 515,814 | ||
| 1717 | 2,000 | 1870 | 212,000 | 1990 | 597,823 | ||
| 1724 | 12,550 | 1887 | 163,881 | 1999 | 706,300 | ||
| 1764 | 25,000 | 1897 | 173,192 | 2006 | 781,962 | ||
| 1777 | 35,100 | 1926 | 182,637 | 2007 | 790,500 | ||
| 1789 | 61,300 | 1946 | 241,708 | 2008 | 802,001 | ||
| 1826 | 87,100 | 1954 | 274,370 | ||||
| Official data from INSEE INSEE INSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System... by census or estimate; estimates shown in italics. |
|||||||
Religion
The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism with HinduismHinduism in Réunion
Hindus in Réunion constitute a small part of the island's population. The island of Réunion is said to be host to approximately 250,000 Indian descendants as of 1991...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion or Shenism , which is a term of considerable debate, are labels used to describe the collection of ethnic religious traditions which have been a main belief system in China and among Han Chinese ethnic groups for most of the civilization's history until today...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
also represented, among others.
Language
FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is the only official language of Réunion. Although not official, Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole or Reunionese Creole , or Créole Réunionnais in French is a creole language spoken on Réunion...
is also spoken. One can hear it in any administration or office, but education is only in French.
Due to the diverse population, other languages such as Mandarin, Hakka and Cantonese are also spoken by members of the Chinese community, but fewer people speak these languages as younger generations start to converse in French. The number of speakers of Indian languages (mostly Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
) is also dropping sharply. Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
is taught in mosques and spoken by a small community of Muslims.
For languages taught as second languages, English is most common. Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
is also taught as optional language in some schools.
Public health
In 2005/2006, Réunion experienced an epidemic of ChikungunyaChikungunya
Chikungunya virus is an insect-borne virus, of the genus Alphavirus, that is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes. There have been recent breakouts of CHIKV associated with severe illness...
, a viral disease similar to dengue fever, which infected almost a third of the population. See the History section for more details.
Culture
Réunionese culture is a blend (métissage) of European, African, Indian, ChineseOverseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
and insular traditions.
The most widely spoken language, Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole
Réunion Creole or Reunionese Creole , or Créole Réunionnais in French is a creole language spoken on Réunion...
, derives from French
French-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
. However, an official orthography has yet to be agreed upon.
Local food and music blend influences from Africa, India, China and Europe, resulting in a unique, diverse culture.
Environment
The "Region Reunion" Celebrates the promotion of the status of the island as a Unesco's protected natural site .Wildlife
Réunion is home to a variety of birds such as the White-tailed TropicbirdWhite-tailed Tropicbird
The White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus, is a tropicbird, smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Oceans...
(. Its largest land animal is the Panther chameleon
Panther chameleon
The Panther Chameleon is a species of chameleon. It lives in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar in a tropical forest biome. Additionally, it has been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius.- Taxonomy :...
, Furcifer pardalis. Much of the West coast is ringed by coral reef which harbours, amongst other animals, sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
s, conger eels and parrot fish. Sea turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s also visit the coastal waters.
Transportation
Roland Garros AirportRoland Garros Airport
Roland Garros Airport , formerly known as Gillot Airport, is located in Sainte-Marie on Réunion, The airport is east of Saint-Denis; it is named for the French aviator Roland Garros who was born in Saint-Denis....
, handling flights to Madagascar, Mauritius, Africa, Australia and Europe serves the island. Pierrefonds Airport
Pierrefonds Airport
Pierrefonds Airport is an airport located west-northwest of Saint-Pierre in Réunion. It is the smaller of the two airports located on the island, Roland Garros Airport being the other....
, a smaller airport, has some flights to Mauritius and Madagascar.
Newspapers
Journal de l'île de La RéunionJournal de l'île de La Réunion
Journal de l'île de La Réunion is a daily, French-language newspaper published in Réunion, a French overseas department. The newspaper, which was founded in 1951 is headquartered in Saint-Denis, Réunion, is owned by Groupe Hersant Média. There are four competing newspapers in Réunion.-External...
J.I.R. (Journal de l'Île de la Réunion).
Le Quotidien http://www.lequotidien.re
Television
Antenne Réunion http://www.antennereunion.frRéunion 1ière http://reunion.la1ere.fr/
See also
- Administrative divisions of FranceAdministrative divisions of FranceThe administrative divisions of France are concerned with the institutional and territorial organization of French territory. There are many administrative divisions, which may have political , electoral , or administrative objectives.- Metropolitan France :As of January 1, 2008, metropolitan...
- Culture of the Indian Ocean IslandsCulture of the Indian Ocean IslandsThe culture of the Indian Ocean islands reflects the ethnic diversity, history, politics, music, dance, food, drink, arts, sports and international influences in that region...
- Didier AgatheDidier AgatheDidier Fernand Agathe is a professional footballer who currently plays for JS Saint-Pierroise in Réunion....
- Laurent RobertLaurent RobertLaurent Robert is a former French footballer. He was a left winger, and has played for the French national football team....
- List of colonial and departmental heads of Réunion
- List of islands administered by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
- Overseas departments and territories of FranceOverseas departments and territories of FranceThe French Overseas Departments and Territories consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of the European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France , and consequently the...
- Scouting and Guiding in Réunion
External links
GovernmentVideos
General information